Singapore soccer star Aleksandar Duric has warned that match-fixing poses a major threat to the development of Asian football as he prepares to wrap up one of the sport’s most prolific careers.

The 42-year-old striker, a former Olympic kayaker who travelled from war-torn Bosnia to score nearly 400 goals in the S-League, said Asia’s rise was being compromised by corruption.

He said: “If you lose the trust of the fans…that’s the biggest problem. And once it gets into the fans’ heads, we’re going to lose all the fans – and what’s the point of playing in empty stadiums?”

Duric scored twice on Sunday to reach 382 goals in 461 S-League games – by far the most top-flight strikes by any active player worldwide, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Duric insisted that in his 14 years in Singapore, he had never been approached or heard of other players being asked to rig games, with lie-detector tests and the threat of tough penalties keeping players in line.

He said: “I think this is the cleanest league in South-east Asia… But what’s happening outside is a different issue.”

AFP

 Andrew Warshaw
May 17 – FIFA looks set to be among a raft of international sporting organisations that will be subject to new anti-corruption laws under Swiss government proposals designed to make sure the country’s image doesn’t suffer.

World football’s governing body is one of 30 international sporting bodies based in Switzerland but has been hit by a number of high-profile corruption scandals in recent years, not least the ISL case.

The Swiss government has now commissioned a report into the problem and has opened a public consultation, with a September 5 deadline for comments, into a suggestion that corruption in private organisations should be considered an offence under the penal code. Currently, corruption is only considered an offence if it involves government officials or distorts market competition.  Read the rest of this entry »

Great episode on the World Football show, with Alan Green for BBC World Service

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017cqn9?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer:+changeFIFA+on+twitter&buffer_share=97b4e

The Moroccan international Abdeslam Ouaddou talks about his unhappy time in Qatar. He’s accused his employers of refusing to honour his contract and of treating him like a slave.

One of Sir Alex Ferguson’s former players, Raimond van der Gouw, explains what makes the Manchester United coach so successful.

And the DR Congo international Yannick Bolasie, born in France and raised in London, talks about his first ever visit to the country he now represents.

Bribery comes in many forms. Article from brisbanetimes.com.au

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/singaporean-charged-over-soccer-bribes-20130408-2hfgo.html#ixzz2Pn3rvRch

A Singaporean businessman has been charged with corruption for offering free sex to three Lebanese soccer referees to induce them to fix a match in the city-state.

Eric Ding Si Yang, 31, was charged with three counts of corruption on Saturday, a spokesman for the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said.

He gave no further details.

If convicted, Ding faces a maximum prison term of five years or a fine of up to $US81,000 ($A78,000)

Referee Ali Sabbagh and his fellow Lebanese assistants Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb were charged earlier and remain in custody while their application for bail is being processed.

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Great article on how sanctions are being put in place to solve match-fixing in Russia before the 2018 World Cup. Words by Anna Lidster for aljazeera.com.

http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/football/2013/03/2013328155644702659.html

FC Anzhi Makhachkala’s Premier League win over Amkar Perm in November 2012 is alleged to be one of the domestic league games affected by match rigging [Getty Images]

Ahead of 2018 World Cup, officials and lawmakers are turning their attention to the problem blighting the domestic game.

With Russia preparing to host the 2018 World Cup, observers say the depth of corruption and widespread match-fixing in the domestic game is the most pressing agenda item for football administrators.

With match-fixing scandals dogging European football, Russia has no desire to damage the game’s image once again. Rigging of results has been rife in the Russian Premier League but so far no one has been brought to justice.

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